Conveying and timing apparatus for timing and delivering articles.



J. C. TALIAFERRO, D. P. ROBINSON 6L1. COYLE. CONVEYING AND TIMIANGAPPARATUS FOR TIMING AND DELIVERING ARTICLES.

APPLICATIVONA FILED JUNE 29. I916.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET I JFK, 6. 7th

:JI DFY M amw wi/lwwooM 7 11/ KWQ% .I. C. TALIAFERBO, D. P. ROBINSON(I 1. COYLE. CONVEYING AND TIMING APPARATUS FOR TIMING AND DELIVERINGARTI CLES.

APPLICATION FILED MINI-129. I916- RENEV/ED MAR. 9.1917- Patented Oct.9,1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2 LQQQXSS.

I. C. TALIAFERRO, D. P. ROBINSON & I. COYLE.

CONVEYING AND TIMING APPARATUS FOR TIMING AND DELIVERING ARTICLES.

APPLICATION man JUNE 29. ms. RENEWED MAR. 9. 1911.

1,242,738, Patented Oct. 9, I917.

5 SHEETSSHEEI' 3.

I. c. TALIAEERROID. P. ROBINSON 6T1. COYLE.

CONVEYING AND TIMING APPARATUS FOR TIMING AND DELIVERING ARTICLES.APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. I916. nzuswzn MAR. 9. 1917.

1,242,738. Patented 0012.9,1917. I

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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I I I II I I I II I I I I \ijlf 'IIII] II II II J. C. TALIAFERRO, D. P.ROBlNSON-& J. COYLE. CONVEYING AND TIMING APPARATUS FOR TIMING ANDDELIVERING ARTIC LES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE-29, I916- KENEWED MAR. 9. I917.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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. JOHN c.' TALIAFERRO, DANIEL r. noBINsoN, AND JOHN COYLE, or nammd' limamz- LAND, ASSIGNQRS T CONTINENTAL CAN COMPANY, INCORPORATED,-OFSYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A GOIHORATION OF NEW YORK.

CONVEYING- AND TIMING APPARATUS FOR, TIMING AND DELIVERING ARTICLES.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Application filed June 29, 1918, Serial No. 106,705. Renewed March 9,1917. Serial No. 153,740.

= To all whom "it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN G. TALIAFERRO,

DA IEL P. ROBINSON, and JOHN Com, citizens of the United States, andresidents, re-

spectively, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have inventedcertainnew and useful Improvements in Conveying and Timing Apparatus forTiming and Delivering Articles, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accom panying drawing and tothe'figures of refe'rencc marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and usefu improvements in a conveying andtiming apparatus for timing and delivering articles at a-given point atpre-determined intervals, and more particularly to an apparatus of theabove character which may be used for delivering filled cans to amachine for applying the covers thereto and closing the same.

An object .of the invention is to provide means coiiperating with thetiming and delivering devices, which means will place the article inproper relation to the'timing. devices delivering the articles, saidmeans being so constructed as to be operated by gravity for exerting avarying pressure against the article simultaneously at a plurality ofpoints whereby the article may be retarded or advanced or otherwisemoved into proper position relative toithe timing device without anyquick or abrupt movements of the article;

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of theabove character wherein the means coiipcrating with the timing anddelivering devices consists of a plurality of independently supportedpivoted members which are arranged to be i moved by gravity so as toengage the article,-said members being constructed so that a pluralitythereof will simultaneously engage the article with varying forces whichare at a maximum at a point diametrically opposed to the path of travelof the timing and delivering devices.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed. I p

p In the drawings, which show by way of illustration, one embodiment'ofthe invention,

. Figure 1 is a plan view showing an ap paratus embodying ourimprovement, delivering round cans to a conveyer for a closing machine;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, with parts omitted, but showing aportion of the closing machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view partly in plan and partly in section, similarto Fig. 1;

Fig.4 is a vertical sectional view through I the timing and deliveringmechanism';

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the means for varying the timing of thedelivering Fig. 11 is asimilar view withthe parts positioned as in Fig.9.

In carrying out the invention, the articles to be timed and deliveredare fed promiscuously onto a moving support. Traveling timing devices inconjunction with the moving support engage the cans and carry themforward and deliver the same at predetermined intervals of time at apredetermined point. sist' of an endless chain or flexiblecarrier havingprojecting fingers which are spaced on the chain or flexible carrier atpredetermined intervals corresponding to the time intervals that thearticles are to be delivered The traveling timing devices con-- atagiven point when said chain or carrier is traveling at a predeterminedspeed. The articles are fed promiscuously 'on to the support, which, asshown in the drawings, is a traveling support,

Cooperating with the-timing devices for placing the articles in properrelation to the timing devices is a series of independent .members, eachof which is pivotally mounted, and these members are arranged side byside. Said members are also of such a width so that a plurality thereofengage each article that is to be timed and delivered at the same time.

The device is especially adapted for handling round filled cans. It iswell known that if a can is moved suddenly or abruptly, it is liable tospill the contents thereof. Inasmuch as the cans are placedpromiscuously on the traveling support, they must be either advanced orretarded, or in some way'manipulated so as to place the article in contact with the timing finger. These yielding devices accomplish thisresult and without any sudden or quick movements of the can. Theseyielding devices, as herein shown, are in the form of gravity memberswhich are pivoted so they may swing laterally to a normal position ofrest, with the center of gravity directly under the pivotal point. I11"asmuch as ,the can is round, when the can first engages these gravitymembers they will be forced back farther and farther until the maximumdiameter of the can is reached. The pressure or force of these gravitymembers, when first engaged by the can is less than when the devicesengaging the can are diametrically opposite from'the timing anddelivering devices. that is, when they are moved back to their farthestposition for exertlng maxlmum pressure. While one member, therefore, 1sengaging the can with the maximum pressure or force.- the members infront and in rear of said members exerting maximum pressure, arelikewise engaging the can but with less pressure and this causes amovement of the can, but prevents any sudden forward movement orrearward movement of the can on the support. In other words, thesegravity members bring just the desired force against the can to place itin the proper relation to the timing fingers.

Referring more in detail to the drawings: i

The invention is shown as applied to a closing machine having asupporting standard 1, on whichis mounted a rotating closing head 2having seaming rolls 3. 'Thisseaming head also has a stack holder 4 inwhich the covers or ends are stacked, and the covers are fed one at atime underneath the seaming head. The filled cans are conveyedunderneath the seaming head by a rotating drum 5 having a projectingthread 6 thereon. The cans are fed onto the drum and a cooperatingsupporting ledge 7, and the pro- "jecting thread slides the cans alongthe ledge 7 and the guiding rail 3 ontoasupportfi underneath the seaminghead. These parts are of the usual construction, and further defordelivering filled cans to a closing machine of the character described,and this timing and delivering device consists of a rotating support 10which is pivot-ally mount ed on a bracket 11 carried by the supportingframe of the closing machine which supports the drum 5. The shaft 12rotating the drum is provided with a beveled gear 13 which meshes with abeveled gear 14 on a cross shaft 15, and this cross shaft 15 carries agear 16 which meshes with a worm gear 17 splined to a shaft 18. Theshaft 18 is mounted in the bracket 11, above referred to, and carries adisk 19 to which the rotating support 10 is riveted.

Directly above the rotating support 10 and secured. thereto in anysuitable way is a sprocket wheel 21 which rotates about a head 22. Anendless chain engages said sprocket and also engages a sprocket wheel24; fixed to the lower end of a shaft 25 which is mounted in a bracket26. The bracket 26 is supported-atone end of the head 22 and iscarried=at the other end by an arm'27 which is fixed to the supportingframe of the closing machine. The shaft25 is bolted to the gear 24 bysuitable bolts 28. Fixed to the upper end of the shaft 25 and, as hereinshown, formed integral therewith is a cap 30. Surrounding the shaft 25is a hub 31 which carries a gear32. The hub 31 is fixed to a disk 33.Said disk has a series of threadedopenings 34: which are adapted to areceive bolts 35. Each of thesebolts 35 extends through a segmental slot36 formed in the cap 30. bolts 35. the disk 33 may have an angularadjustment relative to the cap plate 30.

f endless chain conveyor is provided with projecting fingers 40 whichare equally spaced on the conveyor chain and will be referred tohereafter as the timing devices.

The filled cans or other articles to be delivered are fed oueat a timeontotherotating support 10. This support rotates in the direction of thearrow, as shown in Fig. 3. A guide-l1 cooperates with the rotatingsupport and endless con'veyer so that the can bodies are delivered tothe receiving drum 6 of the closing machine. If each can body restsagainst a timing finger, then the can bodies will be presented to thedrum so as to be taken, by the drum without any stopping of the canbody. In other words, the can bodywill have a substantially continuousmovement, and this prevents the spilling of the contents of the canwhich results when the filled can is stopped and again started.

Our improvement is directed particularly to the means which places thecan bodies in proper relation to the timing fingers.

These can bodies, as above noted, are fed lv loosening the nuts 37 onthe promiscuously onto the rotating support.

This means consists as herein shown, of a supporting bracket 42 which isprovided with a series of gravity members 43 arranged side by side.These gravity members are shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9 2 46 and 47are loosened. This permits the setting of the bracket and the gravitymem bers carried thereby for different size cans. In Fig. 8 of thedrawings we have shown the can indicated at G bearing against'therounded nose 48 of the gravity member.

In Fig. 10, we have shown a plan view of the position of the can and thegravity memher and from this figure it will be apparent that the curvedportion of the can first. engages the gravity member at some distance infront of the center of the can relative to its direction of travel. Asthe can moves forward the gravity member will be moved back until thecenter of the can lies in the plane of the gravity member, as shown inFigs. 9 and 11. As the gravity member swings back, the center ofgravity, indicated at X, is raised. 'When the center of gravity is atthe point indicated at b in Fig. 9, the pressure .of the gravity memberagainst the can will be much greater than it would if ,the center ofgravity were at the point a,

while, when the gravity member is at the position shown in Fig. 8, thatis, directly under the pivotal point 45, there is substantially nopressure of the same against the can. In other words, the pressure ofthese gravity members increases from the point where the can is firstengaged until the gravity member reaches the maximum diameter of thecan. These gravity members are of much less .width than the diameter ofthe can so that a plurality of gravity members are simultaneouslyengaging the can before the can passes said gravity members. p

. It often happens that a can when fed to the timing and deliveringdevices engages the end of one of the timing fingers, but

with the center of the can well in front of.

the finger. In order that the can may be properly positioned relative tothe timing finger, it will have to be moved forward slightly, and thegravity members accomplish this movement of the can and without anysudden or abrupt shifting of the can.

When the can first engages the gravity relative to the timing finger.

If thetiming finger had engaged the,

' position relative to the finger. As the can which will be referred toas the positionofmaximum diameter. The pressure is now suificient toroll the can forward on the timing finger so as to bring it against theedge of the bracket'26 which serves as a guide roll. This forward rmovement, however, of the can relative to the finger is in a senseretarded by the gravity members which are in advance of the one exertinga'maximum pressure, and

this results in a relatively slowand easy movement of thecan into pro erposition at a distance slightly in advance of its con ter, then thegravity members would retard the movement of the can, holding until thenext timing finger comes into tive engagement therewith and forces itor.-

Ward. This retarding force against the can, however, is a gradual,instead of a sudden,

force owing tically no pressure of the gravity members against the canwhen first engaged thereby and this pressure gradually ncreasestor-amaximum. As a consequence, the retard,-

to the fact that there ispr'aiei ing force on the can is at first loflittleorit no effect, and this gradually'increases toa maximum and at notime is'it suflicientto' bring the can to a complete stop, the canrolling along the gravity membersfat a retarded rate of travel untilthetiming finger engages the same and positively moves it forward. Underthese conditions, the' can is placed against the timing device withoutany sudden movement or Without stopping the same, which would result in.a sudden movement when the timing finger positively little or nospilling of the contents of the can as our improved gravity membersoperate upon the can one after the other to position them relative tothe timing fingers.

The distance between the gravity members, when in their full forwardpositiOI l," and the guide along which'the cans are engages the can,and, therefore, there is moved by the timing devices, is less than thediameter of a can. This distance is also greater at the receiving end ofthe gravity members than at the delivery. and of the gravity members.The bracket 42 may be shifted to vary the position of the gravitymembers for different sized cans, as has been noted above.

The gears 34 and 32, as shown in the drawings, are so proportioned thatthe timrotating support. This is not, however, an

ing fingers travel slightly faster than the essential feature of theinvention. By adjusting the position of the disk 33 relative to the cap30, the timing of the fingers may be changed, that is, the cap 30 isrotated through a train of mechan -m connected with the conveyer drum ofthe closing machine and by shifting the disk 33 relative to the cap, thetime when the fingers deliver a can in contact therewith to the drum maybe varied so that the drum may be caused to pick up the can and carry italong without the can coming to a stop.

lVhile we have'shown and described our invention as applied to anapparatus for delivering filled cans to a closing machine, it will beunderstood that our improved conveying and timing apparatus may be usedfor conveying articles of any character to a machine or to a given pointof delivery at predetermined intervals of time.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and thearrangement of parts may be made Without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

' Having thus described the invention,what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Lettcrs Patent is:

1. A conveying and timingapparatus for timing and delivering articles ata given point at predetermined intervals of time comprising travelingtiming and delivering devices, and means cotiperating therewith forplacing the articles in proper relation to said timing devices, saidmeans being constructed so as to operate by gravity with a yieldingpressure against an article simultaneously at a plurality of points forplacing said article in proper position relative to the timing devices.

2. A conveying and timing apparatus for timing and delivering articlesat a given point at predetermined intervals of time comprising,traveling timing and delivering devices, and a plurality of gravityoperated members independently mounted and arranged side by side andcooperating with the traveling devices for placing the articles inproper relation to said timing devices.

A conveying and timing apparatus for timing and delivering articles at agiven point at n'edetermined intervals of time comprising travelingtiming and delivering devices, and a plurality of gravity operatedpivoted members independently mounted and arranged side by side andcoiiperating with the traveling devices for placing the; article inproper relation to said timing devices, said gravity members being soeonstruetcd as to engage an article simulta.

neously at a pllllllllty of points.

4. A conveying and timing apparatus for timing and delivering articlesat a given point at predetermined intervals of time comprising travelingtiming and delivering devices, and a plurality of separate andindependently pivoted devices arranged side by side and coiiperatingwith the timing and delivering devices for placing the articles inproper relation to said timing devices, said pivoted devices being soconstructed and arranged as to operate by gravity to exert a pressureagainst the articles being shifted into proper relation with the timingdevices.

5. A conveying and timing apparatus for timing and delivering articlesat a given point at predetermined intervals of time comprising travelingtiming and delivering devices, and a plurality of separate andindependently pivoted devices arranged side by side and coiiperatingwith the timing and delivering devices for placing the articles inproper relation to said timing devices, said pivoted devices being soconstructed and arranged as to operate by gravity to exert a pressureagainst the articles being shifted intoproper relation with the timingdevices, said gravity members being so constructed as to engage anarticle simultaneously at a plurality of points.

6. A conveying and timing apparatus for delivering filled cans to aclosing machine including in combination traveling timing fingers,aguide associated therewith, a support for the cans, means for placingthe cans against the guide and timing fingers, said means including aplurality of gravity members arranged side by side, said gravity membersbeing opposed to the traveling timing fingers for engaging the can andforcing the same into proper. relation thereto.

7. A conveying and timing apparatus for delivering filled cans to aclosing machine including in combination, traveling timing fingers, aguide associated therewith, a rotatable support adapted to receive thefilled cans promiscuously, means cooperating therewith for placing thecans against the timing fingers and guides, said means including aplurality of gravity operatml pivoted members arranged side by side,said members being passed to the traveling timing fingers and operatingto force the cans into engagement with the timing fingers and the guidewithout stopping the movement of the can.

8. A conveying and timing apparatus for delivering filled cans to aclosing machine including in combination, traveling timing fingers, aguide associated with the timing fingers, a rotatable support adapted tore- -eive the filled cans promiscuously, audmamas 9. A conveying andtiming apparatus for delivering filled cans to a eloslng machineincluding in combination, traveling timing fingers, a guide associatedwith the timing 5 fingers, a rotatable support adapted to receive thefilled cans promiscuously, and Queens coiiperating therewith for placingthe .c ans-against the guide and timing fingers, said means including aplurality of gravity 10 operated members arrangedside by SldB andopposed to the guide, said members being so constructed that a pluralitythereof engage each can at the same time, said members being arranged'soas to engage the can as it is moved alongthe gravity members withincreasing pressure.

In testimony" whereof, we affix our signatures, in the presence of twoWitnesses.

' JOHN G. TALIAFERRO.

DANIELP. ROBINSON. 7 JOHN OOYLEQ Witnesses: I

WM. J. DnLcrmR,

' NELLIE T. RYAN.

